Short List Announced for ASLA D.C. Chinatown Green Street Project

ASLA is pleased to announce that five firms have been shortlisted following the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to serve as lead consultant for a project greening the streets surrounding ASLA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown. The short-listed teams will come to Washington, D.C., for interviews with the ASLA Site Sustainability Task Force on February 24.

The project involves the design and installation of an interconnected series of vegetated systems and proven technologies to manage stormwater runoff and beautify the public right-of-way in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. ASLA intends this project to be a world-class model and education tool for developers, designers, city officials, and the public.

The selected firm will oversee the project through all phases from design and installation to long-term maintenance planning and educational outreach. It will collaborate with the ASLA Site Sustainability Task Force throughout all phases of the project.

ASLA has an award-winning green roof demonstration project on its headquarters that has attracted hundreds of visitors, from school children to government officials. According to Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, the executive vice president and CEO of ASLA, ASLA sought the design expertise of its members to create a national green-street model that will serve as a similar example for future development of streetscapes in the District and throughout the United States.

Community outreach and engagement remain a critical aspects of this project. In late 2012, ASLA hosted a two-day design charette with stakeholders and representatives from the District Department of Transportation, the District Department of the Environment, DC Water, DC Office of Planning, the Downtown Business Improvement District, the Anacostia Watershed Society and others. Since then ASLA staff continue to collaborate with city, business, and nonprofit partners to ensure that the project continues to meet key partner goals.

“The Request for Qualifications drew 29 submittals from very highly qualified firms, and the process of reducing those to a short list was not an easy one,” said Somerville. “We look forward to meeting with the short-listed firms and appreciate the work that went into all of the submitted qualification packages.”

“We are honored to see interest from such qualified and experienced firms,” said Mark A. Focht, FASLA, president of ASLA, and first deputy commissioner of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. “On behalf of the jury, I would like to thank everyone who entered the competition to help move this very important initiative forward.”